Anemic New York Legislature May Be More Active at End of Session

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From left, Kelly Cummings, communications director for the New York State Senate Republicans; Jeffrey D. Klein, the Independent Democratic Conference leader; and John J. Flanagan, the Republican Senate majority leader, on their way to a meeting at the State Capitol on Thursday with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.CreditNathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

ALBANY — For skeptics of the chronically criticized members of the New York State Legislature, the 2016 legislative session has often seemed in danger of becoming what some Albany watchdogs used to call a “Seinfeld session” — all about nothing.

Bills on big issues like ethics, climate change and the tax-break and development program known as 421-a have languished, while chronic wish-list entries like the Dream Act, a tuition aid program for undocumented immigrants popular with Democrats and disliked by Republicans, have also foundered.

Of course, optimists — and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration — will point to accomplishments announced at the budget deadline in late March, which included passing a multipronged $15 minimum wage law (or $12.50 by 2021 in upstate areas); a paid family leave law; and a middle-class tax cut for families earning less than $300,000. And as is usually the way in Albany, the looming deadline of the end of session — on Thursday, with just three days left on the schedule — will likely result in a flurry of long nights.

Here is a rundown of some of the possible last-minute additions to the inevitable end-of-session news release from the governor’s office and legislative leaders.

HEROIN One of the few issues on which the “three men in a room” — the governor, the speaker of the Assembly and the Senate majority leader — can agree is a pressing need for action on the rising tide of drug-addicted New Yorkers, a crisis fed by prescription drugs and even cheaper, easier-to-get heroin. After a meeting in the executive chamber on Thursday, John J. Flanagan, the Long Island Republican who leads that party’s majority in the Senate, was expansive on the issue, saying that “this is something everybody cares deeply about, including the gentleman we just left, the governor.”

Indeed, shortly after Mr. Flanagan spoke, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, issued the findings of a task force on the drug, with more than two dozen recommendations — including changes to insurance rules, limits on opiate prescriptions and an increase in treatment beds — which will most likely be reflected in legislation. Republicans note that their own task force, which dates from 2014, has already advanced nearly a dozen bills on opioids that have become law. “Clearly,” the Republicans said on Thursday, “we have been at the forefront.”

BREAST CANCER The governor’s connection to this issue is personal: His longtime girlfriend, Sandra Lee, was found to have breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy last year. Mr. Cuomo has pushed for more screening, and used it as a final emotional anecdote during his State of the State address in January. Since then, he has repeatedly mentioned it when questioned about his end-of-the-session priorities, and on Sunday announced a deal with Mr. Flanagan and Carl E. Heastie, the Bronx Democrat who leads the Assembly, to ease access to mammograms and other means of detection.

MAYORAL CONTROL If ever there was an issue that seemingly exposed deeper political schisms in Albany, the control of New York City’s schools is it. Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, has repeatedly sought multiple-year deals from lawmakers in Albany only to be summarily rejected by Mr. Flanagan, who meted out a single year last session and seems intent on doing the same this year. Mr. Flanagan’s reluctance to sign off on a multiple-year deal comes despite the governor’s advocacy of a three-year deal and the Democratic-led Assembly’s willingness to do the same.

FANTASY SPORTS Fans of hand-to-hand combat got a big victory this year when the Legislature and Mr. Cuomo legalized mixed marital arts. Now it seems that fans of imaginary online head-to-head battles may also prevail, as legislative leaders seem close to a deal on making daily fantasy sports legal in the state, after New York’s attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, effectively tackled the industry last fall. Mr. Cuomo, however, must still weigh in, though the heavily advertised sites seem likely to get back in business in New York.

RIDE-HAILING APPS The start-ups that revolutionized cab and livery car service in New York City — Uber and Lyft — have not yet been able to spread their app-based transportation across the state because of laws that prevent the companies from buying group insurance for their drivers. There are competing bills in the Senate and the Assembly to allow such insurance, but details over the minimums required have been gumming up negotiations. As with most issues, conversations between parties were continuing over the weekend, though it is not yet clear if there will be a deal that the companies — which have pushed hard to expand — can abide.

ETHICS Every year seems to be “the year for real ethics reform” in Albany. Until, of course, it is not. That said, 2016 was not just any year. It was closely preceded by the federal corruption convictions of two legislative leaders: the former Senate majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican; and Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat and longtime speaker of the Assembly. Both men were sentenced to substantial prison terms even as the session dragged on, but even that failed to produce a push for sweeping ethics laws.

The lone point of agreement — until a new push from the governor last week — seemed to be bills to strip convicted lawmakers of their pensions, though even that has failed to pass both houses. The governor’s idea for more disclosure on outside groups seems to have some chance of becoming law, and common ground on pensions might still be found, too.

But the bigger changes — such as closing the so-called L.L.C. loophole, which allows almost unchecked giving to political campaigns — will, like so many issues, have to wait until next year. Or beyond.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Late Nights and Last-Minute Deals Could Close Anemic Session in Albany. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe